Miami HEAT Basketball Tickets

Miami HEAT history begins in 1986 when Billy Cunningham and Zev Bufman formally applied for an NBA expansion franchise. The team made its NBA debut in the 1988-89 season, but it wasn't until 1995 when Ted Arison purchased the team and made his son, Micky Arison the managing partner of the franchise that the HEAT began their rise to prominence. The team's renown increased as newly appointed Team President and Head Coach Pat Riley inked HEAT legends Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway.

Despite their success in the 90s, the organization came into championship contention after signing Dwyane Wade in 2003 and trading for Shaquille O'Neil in 2004. In 2006 with Pat Riley at the helm, the Miami HEAT finally earned their first NBA championship in franchise history beating the Dallas Mavericks in a six game series. In 2008, Pat Riley stepped down as the HEAT's head coach and named Erik Spoelstra as his replacement, making Spoelstra, at age 37, the youngest head coach in the NBA.

The HEAT experienced some hardship in the years following their first championship, but the team became an instant title contender with the 2010 historic free agency acquisitions of LeBron James and Chris Bosh and the resigning of Dwyane Wade. In their first season together, the trio led the franchise to within two games of the championship. But this set back only made the team hungrier for a second championship victory, which they claimed the following year during the 2011-12 season.